The Polish-born soprano, Leonore Kirschstein, received her training at the Robert Schumann-Konservatorium in Düsseldorf by Franziska Martienssen-Lohmann.

In 1958 Leonore Kirschstein began her stage work at the Städtischen Oper Berlin. From 1960 to 1963 she was engaged at the Stadttheater of Kiel, from 1963 to 1965 at the Stadttheater of Augsburg. She has performed very successfully at the Opera House of Cologne, whose member she was from 1965 to 1968. Since 1968, she worked at the Staatsoper of Munich, where she had previously appeared as a guest. In 1961 she sang at the Salzburg Festival the soprano solo in Mozart's Requiem, and in 1970 1st Lady in Zauberflöte. In 1965 and 1971 she appeared at the Edinburgh Festival, in 1965 at the Festival of Montreux, and almost every year since 1965 at the Münchner Festwochen (Munich Festival). At the Münchner Staatsoper, she took part in the premiere of the opera Sim Tjong by the Korean composer Isang Yun (August 1, 1972). She has performed in Hamburg, Stuttgart, Düsseldorf, Zurich and Vienna and also made guest appearances and concert tours in the USA, Britain, Italy and Turkey. Apart from her work on the stage, she was highly estimated concert, oratorio and Lieder singer, and dominated in these fields a vast repertoire.

After finishing her singing career, Leonore Kirschstein has worked in Augsburg as a teacher.